


White Carnations

by ninian



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop & Tattoo Parlor, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Male Slash, two bros chilling in a flower shop really close bc they're gay, well kind of it's a cheek kiss
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-20
Updated: 2017-07-20
Packaged: 2018-12-04 18:27:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11560872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ninian/pseuds/ninian
Summary: A symbol of innocence and pure love.Kamui, a slightly clumsy yet caring tattoo artist, visits Zero, a strange florist with a wicked tongue.





	White Carnations

**Author's Note:**

> whoops hi it's been over a year since i've posted anything!!
> 
> for a while i was having trouble with maintaining a writing muse. on top of that, i was very busy with school, so most of my time went into that! hopefully i'll be able to write more.
> 
> this specific au is based off a tweet where it's the usual tattoo and flower shop au, but instead the tattoo artist is a kind and caring person while the florist is a grumpy person. i decided to apply that to kamui and zero because hey, why not! i haven't decided if i'll continue this au or not. i might, i might not. kind of depends.
> 
> pre-localization names bc i'm fucking garbage.

“Come _on_ , Kamui, are you seriously not wanting to come with us?”

Crimson eyes glanced over at the owner of stubborn voice, a grey haired, faux cut young man with a creased expression upon his face. It wouldn’t be the first time Silas tried to get the young man to go out into town with them and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. It was a song and dance he was ever most familiar with since the two of them began to work in the tattoo parlor.

“If I didn’t have plans, I’d easily go with you and Suzukaze,” Kamui stopped cleaning the needle and gave his best apologetic smile ( one that grew slightly weaker with every passing moment ), “but I have a few errands I need to do right now.”

Silas sighed in defeat. Closing his eyes, he shook his head rather disappointingly. “I swear, aside from tattoos and running errands, you literally do nothing with your life.”

“That’s because Kamui actually _has_ responsibilities to attend to,” came Suzukaze’s cool voice right into ear shop as he came back from the back room with an equally cool smile plastered onto his face. Even though he was the owner of the establishment, he still managed to be just a little playful with his employees, seeing as they were two of his close friends.

“Responsibilities? Ha!” Silas just laughed, turning back to Kamui. “Admit it, you’re going to see that weird flower shop guy.”

The silver haired male puffed his cheeks out a little. Silas wasn’t wrong; it was that tone of his that was really bothering him.

“His name’s Zero and he’s not weird!” Kamui snapped at his friend with a small huff.

“I dunno,” shrugged Silas, “he’s kinda _weird_ , dude. He seems a little more than overjoyed when someone pricks a finger on a rose thorn and he’s shady looking. I’m surprised he works at a flower shop and not same shady, rundown--”

“Silas,” Suzukaze’s hand clasped on the grey-haired male’s shoulder. “I think that’s enough. I’m sure you’re concerned for Kamui, but he’ll be fine. You know he’s got a good ability to see the good in people.” He looked up at Kamui with an apologetic smile for Silas’ behavior.

“Fine, fine…” Silas waved the man’s hand from his shoulder. “Just let me know if he gives you any trouble. I’ll deal with him. That’s what best friends do.”

“Yeah,” Kamui mumbled as he gave a half-hearted wave to the two and wished them a fun time downtown. The three of them parted ways, Kamui watching his two friends make their way down the street. Once they were out of earshot, he let out a slight huff at what Silas had said.

 _Weird flower shop guy._ It was no secret that Kamui was interested in him. It was chance that his mother had asked him to get a few seeds and potted plants for the little garden that they had started out of boredom, since the tattoo parlor was right next to it.

Though, the way they met could have been a little less embarrassing; Kamui almost dropped one of the potted plants he was looking at, as well as the package of seeds he held in his hand, and luckily, Zero had caught him and the items that almost spilled all over the floor.

When he looked at him, Kamui felt the tip of his ears redden. He was a man of good looks - dark skin that contrasted with his fluffy, moonlit hair, a black eye patch covering his right eye, leaving a striking, blue eye and a gaze that seemed to pierce his heart.

And then he made a rather off coloured comment about spilling his _seed_ everywhere, which didn’t help the tips of Kamui’s ears at all. He was nice enough to help him back on his feet and told him that the embarrassing situation would be their dirty little secret.

From then on, the silver haired male just seemed to wander into the flower shop when he had the chance. He couldn’t explain it exactly, but he felt a little drawn to the mysterious man. The more he went there, the more he got to know him. He learned a bit about Zero - his strange way of speaking, his fascination with pain and suffering.

Apparently, he had a pretty rough life. Kamui didn’t pry into that all that much, though, which seemed to have surprised him just a little bit. Maybe too many people tried to pry under the guise of helping him.

Zero didn’t seem to mind that he was interrupting his work and surprisingly, the flower shop owner was pretty laid back. Then again, Ashura had long been a family friend, so he knew that Kamui meant no real harm. His only condition was that he stayed out of the way when he was working and came more towards closing time.

( "And please, try not to make your googly eyes at him so obvious," commented Ashura as he ran a hand through his overly fluffy hair. "I feel like a third wheel in a teeny bop romantic comedy with the way you stare at him." The comment had made Kamui's entire face flush. )

He also got to know Zero’s coworker, Mozume - a nice high school girl, around Sakura’s age. She had gotten a part time job to help pay for her entrance exam fees. She didn't seem to mind Zero all that much. He was a hard worker and didn't slack off, so she could deal with his personality.

“Zero seems pretty happy when you show your face ‘round here!” Mozume had said when her and Kamui were alone. Zero wasn’t in that day, but the older male had decided to stick around for a quick chat with the young girl.

“Haha, really?” He rubbed the back of his neck, the tips of his ears reddening a little. “I hadn’t noticed.”

“Uh huh,” nodded Mozume as she placed a potted flower up on one of the shelves. “Usually, he’s all scowly and mean lookin’, but he brights up like the sun when you get here!”

“Isn’t happiness and, uh, brightness a thing that’s required when people work here?” Kamui asked, rubbing his chin in idle thought. “Yet, Zero’s worked here for a long time…”

“Mister Ashura likes keepin’ him around since he knows his stuff pretty well and he’s got no problems tendin’ to the roses. Says he’s the only fella that isn’t ‘fraid of pricking a finger.” The freckled face girl dusted her hands off. “Zero’s good with interacting with customers, but sometimes he can’t help that wicked tongue of his, ‘specially when a customer tries and scold him.”

Mozume’s words played in Kamui’s head as he opened the door to the flower shop, the tiny bell at the top of it jingled faintly. Crimson hues glanced over at the front counter, where Zero was speaking with a customer. Though he wasn’t exactly scowling, he didn’t look all that happy until he glanced over at the door. Immediately, Kamui could see the atmosphere change around him, as he bid the paying customer a good day and handed her the flowers she paid for, watching her exit the shop.

Kamui couldn’t help but feel happy at the fact that he made Zero feel, well, happy. Mainly because he made him feel happy in return.

“Visiting me at such a late hour? I wonder what I’ve done to earn such a wonderful visit.” Zero chuckled, teasing the man just a little bit. “Do I get a reward for being a _good_ boy?”

Kamui laughed in return, stepping closer to him. His hands found their way in his jacket pockets, fingers fidgeting with the insides just a little bit. “Well, I figured I would stop in and see how you were doing. I even skipped out on hanging out with Silas and Suzukaze!”

The tanned male _'tsked'_ at him. “Skipping out on a night out into town for me? How bad of you.” He gave an over exaggerated sigh. “I hope you’re not using me as an excuse so you can be anti-social. I’ll be very hurt if that’s the case.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not.” He knew he was teasing him but he figured he’d let him know seriously anyway. “I did want to see you, though.”

Zero smiled softly, reaching up to do a little quick restocking before he locked up for the night. “I’m flattered that you want to see me… I was hoping you would stop by.” He ran his finger over a pack of seeds idly. “I’m sure there are those who don’t want you to see me. That friend of yours stopped by this morning, before your shift.”

“Silas?” Kamui groaned out. Of course, he would do that, it was a very Silas thing for him to do. As much as he loved Silas, that guy was a little too overprotective of him. “Dare I ask, what did he say?”

“Oh, you know - that I’m a shady guy who’s looking to corrupt you and that if I hurt you, he’ll deal with me. I sort of told him off and he didn’t seem very happy about that when he stormed out. It was an _exciting_ sight, seeing him fuming and Mozume in shock and fear.” Zero chuckled, placing the pack of seeds back in the bin before stepping away from it. “You don’t have to worry. I’m not bothered by it, Kamui.”

Though he didn’t say it, the silver haired male could feel a _‘but’_ attached at the end of that sentence. Not to mention, he could see Zero’s eye shift around a little. He probably wasn’t bothered about Silas insulting him - something told Kamui that Zero was used to insults - but he was probably bothered about the idea that he was going to hurt him.

Or maybe he’s just reading things wrong. Getting his hopes up that the man before him liked him wasn’t such a good idea.

“Well, forget Silas. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” Kamui smiled. “I think he’s just jealousy that I’m spending time with you. Watch out, he might wanna wear your skin.”

The florist covered his mouth, trying to hide his smile and laugh, but Kamui could hear it as clear as day. It was a nice, low rumble - surprisingly soothing to the ears. He doubts Zero was feeling so down about what Silas thought of him but he was glad to brighten his day up. He figured he should make a joke about Silas, though. It was an indirect way to get back at him for what he said about Zero.

He didn’t know Zero. Then again, Kamui didn’t know him that well either, but he was getting to know him. He knew him more than Silas did, anyway. He could tell there was good in him.

“So, was talking crap about your friend the reason you came here?” Zero still smiled as he dropped his hand back at his side.

“Oh, um…” The younger male fidgeted a little. Aside from seeing him he did want to ask him something. He had practiced this in the mirror before he went to work, trying it in different ways. He wasn’t feeling as confident and tough as he did before, though.

But Zero waited patiently for him, simply smirking at him as he watched him squirm under his gaze. He had no doubt that he was probably enjoying this a little more than he would admit to him. It was like that gaze of his was challenging him to continue forward.

 _Are you going to ask me or are you going to chicken out?_ He could hear him clear in his head. _Your ears are so cute when you get embarrassed._

The crimson eyed man puffed his cheeks out, ready to take that challenge on, and he finally blurted it out.

“Will you, um, go out to dinner with me?”

The boldness of the question not only made him surprised, but he could see a surprised expression flash across Zero’s own face. There was a nice shade of red that highlighted onto his cheeks and the taller male scratched at it.

“... How bold of you, Kamui. Your forwardness is enough to send _shivers_  down my spine. In fact, I can feel a _heat_ building up down below.” Judging from the smirk he gave him, this was Zero’s way of hiding his embarrassment. The smirk grew wider when he saw the tips of Kamui’s ears, happy to get back at him for putting him on the spot.

“W-Well, I figured since I was here, I would… ask you.” He was pulling at the insides of his jacket pocket. “But if you don’t want to, it’s fine! I mean, I’m not the most interesting guy in the world, and--?!”

He stopped when Zero leaned forward, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek. It was light and… _soft_. He wasn’t expecting something like that, not from Zero. Suggestive he may be, but he always kept to himself too. Leaning back, the white-haired man smirked at Kamui’s slightly agape mouth, his hand running down his arm.

“Sorry, you were rambling and looked like you wanted to pass out, so I figured I'd help you out a little.” Zero laughed, looking up at him with fondness in that blue eye of his. “So, where are we going?”

For a minute, the shorter male didn’t say anything. He seemed a little confused at first. The gears in Kamui’s turned ever so slowly as he processed his words, realizing that Zero had accepted his proposal.

“O-Oh, right!” choked Kamui out as he scrambled to get his phone out. “Dinner! Dinner with me! Tomorrow! I mean, there’s a place nearby that we can go to tomorrow. It’s a nice little place. A-Anyway, let me give you my number.”

He could feel Zero watching him, knowing full well that he was probably enjoying this. What a sadist! The two of them exchanged numbers really quick, just so they have the means of contacting each other, and discussed times. Five o’clock seemed pretty good.

“So since you gave me your number,” began Zero as he bumped his shoulder against Kamui’s playfully, “does this mean I can contact you whenever?”

“Oh, I dunno,” grinned Kamui as he returned the bump, “if you’re feeling that bored and lonely, sure.”

“Trust me, I can feel lonely pretty quickly.” Zero chuckled as the two of them walked out. He locked the shop up, turning back towards his companion with a gentle smile. “I’ll be seeing you tomorrow, then.”

“Yeah,” nodded Kamui, letting out a breath he had no idea he was holding in, “I’ll see you tomorrow. Drive safely.”

He watched Zero take off, making sure he got in his car safely and drove down the street without any problems. Zero had said yes to his proposal, the two of them were going on a date tomorrow…

Kamui did all he could to stop himself from cheering out and making a fool of himself in the shopping plaza. He did run home, though, like a child on a Friday afternoon after school. Him and Zero were going out on a date! A _date_! He couldn't help his excitement!

Maybe something would come out of it. He hoped so. He really liked Zero.

* * *

Stopping at the stop light, Zero pulled out his phone, looking at Kamui’s number briefly. He couldn’t stop the smile forming on his lips, quickly covering it with his mouth.

“What a stuttering mess,” he chuckled. “He must have tried practicing in the mirror hundreds of times.”

He was honest, in the end. Nothing fancy or fake, just a stuttering, nervous guy who almost made a fool of himself. Bright, beautiful red eyes that seemed to glow when he had said _‘yes’_ to him. He was nothing but innocent, purely honest.

Maybe that’s why Zero was fond of him.


End file.
